A Chinese spinach jade marriage bowl, Qianlong period, the sides with everted rim and carved in low relief to the exterior with lotus blooms and meandering scrolls, with carved dragonfly-form handles, their wings resting on the rim of the bowl, their bodies suspending loose ring handles, on four rectangular feet, 23cm diameterProvenance: Justus Blank, Dutch East India Company, and thence by descentNote: The jade industry expanded greatly during the Qianlong period following the conquest over the rebellious Dzungar people in Khotan and Yarkand, in present day Xinjiang. The superior quality and quantity of raw jade in the area meant that larger forms were now possible, and the marriage bowl became a popular object during this time. Prior to this conquest jade came in smaller boulders, and there are many poems of the emperor that deplore the scarcity of the material supplied to the Imperial Workshops. Marriage bowls take their name from the auspicious imagery used in their decoration. This particular object uses the twin dragonfly motif for the handles, an image that symbolises fleeting moments due to their temporary existence in the air. The word for dragonfly, 蜻蜓 (qīng tíng), contains the homophones 清 qīng and 慶 qing, which mean ‘pure’ and ‘celebration’ respectively - most suitable for a marriage gift. The additional lotus bloom motif enriches the auspiciousness of the object - blossoming from the murky mud of the marshes into an untainted white flower, the lotus symbolises purity, and the homophones 廉 lián (incorruptible, modest) 连 lián (join, continuous, successive) and 联 lián (unite, join) enhance the symbolic meaning of the lotus decoration. Cf. For a comparable marriage bowl with dragonfly-form handles, see Sotheby's Hong Kong, Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, 08 October 2010, Lot 2723 清 乾隆 碧玉纏枝蓮紋蜻蜓銜環大碗 參見 蘇富比香港 2010年10月8日

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